Baroness Hayman: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they are taking to raise public awareness of bowel cancer and the national bowel cancer screening programme generally, and in particular in ethnic minority and hard-to-reach communities; and
	What steps they are taking to maximise the efficiency of existing bowel cancer treatment capacity in advance of the roll-out of the national bowel cancer screening programme; and
	When the Department of Health's central budgets for 2006–07 will be finalised and an announcement made on funding for the April 2006 roll-out of the national bowel cancer screening programme; and
	What steps they are taking to ensure that testing kits will be made available for use by April 2006 for the roll-out of the national bowel cancer screening programme.

Lord Triesman: We do not accept such criticisms. The UK considers the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) to be the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime and the framework for nuclear disarmament. We are fulfilling all our obligations under the NPT, including those on disarmament under Article VI of the treaty.
	The UK has significantly reduced its nuclear arsenal since the end of the Cold War. We have reduced the total explosive power of our nuclear forces by over 70 per cent. and have fewer than 200 nuclear warheads operationally available at any one time. We have reduced our deterrent capacity to a single nuclear weapons system, Trident, after withdrawing and dismantling the RAF's freefall bomb in 1998. Only one Trident submarine is on deterrent patrol at any one time and that submarine is normally on several days' "notice to fire". Its missiles are de-targeted. The UK has observed a moratorium on nuclear testing since 1991 and, in 1998, we ratified the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. In addition, we announced in 1995 that we had stopped the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, and we continually press for negotiations to begin on a fissile material cut-off treaty at the conference on disarmament in Geneva.

Lord Warner: The new quality and outcomes framework (QOF) for 2006–07 has been finalised, and includes an indicator which rewards practices for maintaining an obesity register. The recording of body mass index for the register will take place in the practice as part of routine care. It is expected that this data will inform public health measures. The QOF will be subject to a process of change and improvement over time as part of the negotiation process.

Lord Warner: Initiatives planned to tackle obesity for 2006 include the development of obesity social marketing approaches aimed at changing behaviour, the development of an obesity toolkit for primary care trusts (PCTs) and other key local partners, and national roll-out of the healthy start scheme. In addition there will be the introduction of rules to restrict promotion of foods high in fat, sugar and salt to children by Ofcom and industry self-regulators and the introduction of signpost labelling to enable consumers to make healthier choices. The Department of Health has already issued guidance in January to PCTs on measuring children's height and weight in primary schools.
	The department has also commissioned the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to assess four commonly used methods to increase physical activity: brief interventions in primary care, pedometers, exercise referral schemes and community-based exercise programmes for walking and cycling. Further work to pilot the impact of pedometers in schools is being carried out through the "Schools on the Move" pilot, launched in October 2005.

Lord Adonis: The information requested on the results of pupils in receipt of free school meals 1 in 2005 can be found below.
	
		Percentage of pupils achieving level 4 plus at key stage 2 in maintained schools, 2004–05
		
			  English Maths Science 
			  FSM Total FSM Total FSM Total 
			 Maintained 
			 mainstream 62 79 58 75 74 87 
			 Special 3 3 4 3 9 9 
			 Total 60 79 57 75 72 86 
		
	
	
		GCSE and equivalent results of pupils at the end of key stage 42 in maintained schools, 2004-05
		
			  Number of pupils Percentage of pupils achieving 5+ A*-C 
			  FSM Total FSM Total 
			 Comprehensive3 72,883 526,030 31.1 54.5 
			 Selective 449 22,284 92.4 98.0 
			 Modern 3,061 26,463 26.7 45.9 
			 Other maintained4 3,446 9,482 0.2 0.3 
			 Total 79,839 584,259 29.9 54.9 
		
	
	1 Derived from pupil level annual school census returns provided in January 2005
	2 Number of pupils on roll at the end of key stage 4.
	3 Including city technology colleges and academies.
	4 Including community and foundation special schools.
	The Education Bill seeks to continue to raise standards for all and to reduce the gap between those on free school meals and other pupils.

Lord Warner: Hounslow Primary Care Trust (PCT), the body responsible for commissioning healthcare provision for Her Majesty's Feltham young offenders' institution, is halfway through a three-year plan to improve healthcare at the institution. As part of this programme, the PCT recently undertook a competitive tender for the provision of primary care services at the institution. The contract for this has been awarded to SERCO for the next three years.
	Mental health services are provided by the Adolescent Forensic Directorate of West London Mental Health Trust.